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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. face — to confront
  3. squash — to crush
  4. pound — a weight
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. cell — a phone
  12. staff — a stick
  13. staff — employees
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. staff — employees
  16. face — part of the head
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. face — to point toward
  19. cell — in biology
  20. squash — the sport
  21. key — for a lock
  22. plane — a tool
  23. key — in music
  24. stick — a piece of wood

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com